With Copenhagen around the corner and failure of this week’s WTO negotiations, the Obama administration’s international agenda and leadership style are coming under scrutiny. The potential confirmation of controversial former pesticide lobbyist Islam Siddiqui as the U.S. trade representative for agriculture threatens to further undermine this administration’s credibility in international forums by privileging U.S. corporate interests over the global public interest and common good.
Siddiqui Fails to Answer for Record
NFFC and Pesticide Action Network North America expressed disappointment today with Islam Siddiqui’s testimony and answers during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to become the next USTR Chief Agriculture Negotiator.
Thousands Unite Against Siddiqui Nomination
In an unprecedented effort to block a USTR agriculture nominee, over 80 groups sent a letter today to Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Charles Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee urging the rejection of Islam Siddiqui as Chief Agriculture Negotiator at the office of the United States Trade Representative.
Family Farmers Denounce Senate Ag Hearing
NFFC denounced today’s Senate Agriculture Subcommittee hearing on the dairy crisis for failing to spotlight the voices of real family dairy farmers and instead relying on the same corporate processors and giant dairy cooperatives who have created the current economic disaster.
Broad Coalition Decry Siddiqui Nomination
Sustainable agriculture advocates from around the country today expressed deep disappointment with the Obama Administration’s defense of nominating Islam Siddiqui, a former pesticide lobbyist as our chief agriculture trade representative at the office of the United States Trade Representative.
NFFC Press Teleconference Urges Direct Payments
NFFC held a press teleconference today to thank Congress for $350 million in emergency appropriations for dairy farmers. However, NFFC warned that unless a broken pricing system is replaced and antitrust measures are taken to address the lack of competitive markets for farmers’ milk, thousands of dairy farms will still be lost this year.
U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Criticizes New Global Harvest Initiative
September 22: U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Criticizes Agribusiness-Backed Global Harvest Initative’s Failed Ideas to Feed the World
More Than 90 Groups Request Zero Funding for Animal ID Program
Over 90 organizations representing conventional farmers and ranchers, organic farmers, property rights activists, and consumers have sent a letter to Senate and House conferees for the Agriculture Appropriations bill urging them to zero out funding for the National Animal Identification System for 2010. NAIS will place undue burdens on America’s farmers and ranchers while doing nothing to address food safety and animal disease concerns.
Dairy
Dairy Crisis – Paul Rozwadowski for NFFC – House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry
US Family Farmers, Ranchers and Consumers Consider NAIS a Threat
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Dairy, Livestock and Poultry held a hearing March 11 examining implementation of NAIS. Congressional representatives failed to understand that NAIS will neither address animal disease nor food safety.
Dairy Farmers Refute Milk Price Collapse Caused by Overproduction
NFFC Dairy Subcommittee hosted a press teleconference call stating that until we deal with the reality of a broken pricing system at the CME, massive imports and corruption in our dairy cooperatives, dairy farmers will never be able to obtain fair prices that cover our cost of production.
2008 Summer and Winter Newsletters
Change is in the air: good change, bad change, generic change, political change (or not), climate change. By mid February, NFFC
will have a new president and a strategic plan that will encourage more involvement of our groups and groups’ members in the decisions and actions of NFFC. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with NFFC during my tenure for all the support and many opportunities to learn from you and represent family farmers in many forums here in the US and around the world.